1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to meter covers for meters mounted in a recessed container, and more specifically to a novel underground utility bracket for suspending an automatic meter reader antenna below the underside of a meter pit lid.
2. Background Discussion
Automatic meter readers (AMRs) and Advanced Metering Infrastructure meters (AMI) are typically used with utility meters, such as electric, water and gas meters, to track the utility use electronically and to communicate an indication of the detected use to some external receiver via, for example, a wireless transmitter/receiver connection, a telephone wire, or some other communication channel. Once the AMR/AMI is installed, the service provider, e.g., the electric, water or gas company, can poll the AMR/AMI from a handheld device or transmit to a remote location and receive an indication of the use measured by the meter using, for example, microwave communication, telecommunication or other communication technology embedded in the AMR/AMI. To connect an AMR/AMI to a conventional utility meter the standard mechanical meter index of the meter is removed and replaced with components of the AMR/AMI. (For most water and gas lines, the meter box is subterranean so as to prevent freezing.) After replacement, the mechanical meter index is reinstalled over the AMR/AMI, and the original cover is discarded and replaced with a larger cover that secures both the AMR/AMI and the mechanical meter index to the meter. Installation of an AMR/AMI on most subterranean meters is difficult because these meters must be partially disassembled to connect the AMR/AMI thereto. Traditionally, utility covers were constructed from cast iron, steel, or polymer-concrete formulations, or, less frequently, brass and bronze. While some materials listed are radio transparent, others are less conducive to allowing transmission of radio signals. Cast iron, steel, brass and bronze covers tend to be heavy, and may require the creation of an orifice in the cover to accommodate the efficient transmission of a radio signal. Additionally, brass and bronze will corrode over time at the hinge or at the locking mechanism. Other covers have been developed from concrete-polymer blends that avoid the problems of corrosion; however without a reinforcing material the covers can crack. Mere plastic covers degrade under UV exposure and crack under pressure or float away when challenged with flood situations.
Accordingly, recent improvements in materials have provided for the fabrication of meter pit lids from proprietary radio frequency (RF) transparent polypropylene copolymers that protect the AMR/AMI system from vandalism, electrostatic charges, adverse weather, and so forth, while further providing durability, UV resistance, and corrosion resistance.
The AMR/AMI systems significantly reduce the expense of reading meters manually. But use of RF (electronic) transmitters for the systems require the installation of (at least) a transmitting antenna so that meter readings can be sent either to utility service person conducting street side polling operations or through receivers connected to the cellular phone networks for relay through the network to a central location. However, such transmitters are not without problems because they are generally located below the surrounding ground surface in a covered pit, and signal transmission through the meter pit lid can be compromised. A suitable solution for use in connection with a meter pit lid fabricated from RF transparent material is to provide means to fine tune the transmitting antenna within the meter pit so as to optimize transmission signal quality. The present invention provides such means.